Cleaner Daze

Tess Sweet

Cleaner Daze

Tess Sweet

Drama,
Transmedia

Series

Santa Cruz

Cleaner Daze follows Jasmine, a newbie drug rehab counselor and her eccentric co-workers as they struggle to wrangle a misfit crew of teenage drug addicts. The show combines traditional narrative with virtual reality to give you a unique peek behind the cinderblock walls of drug treatment.

Cleaner Daze follows Jasmine, a newbie drug rehab counselor and her eccentric co-workers as they struggle to wrangle a misfit crew of teenage drug addicts. The show combines traditional narrative with virtual reality to give you a unique peek behind the cinderblock walls of drug treatment.

162 supporters

1,178 followers

Participating In

Green Light

RAISED $13,343

for PRODUCTION

162 supporters, 1,178 followers

About The Project

WORDS FROM THE DIRECTOR

My name is Tess Sweet. I’m a writer, director and I’m also a recovering addict. I say recovering rather than recovered because there is no cure for addiction. Although I have fifteen years clean, I am far from cured. Living with my addiction and healing from shame is ongoing. Over the years, what has helped me the most has been hearing and sharing stories with other addicts, laughing about our shortcomings, and being reminded daily that I am not alone.

Cleaner Daze is a web series about the complex layers of addiction and recovery. We don’t sugar-coat it or pretend we’ve solved it. We shine a light on the reality of living with it. Many of our cast members have life experience with addiction which brings palpable authenticity to the project. When we started casting, it meant a lot to me to seek out real survivors. So, we plastered the town with posters...

THE STORY OF CLEANER DAZE

Cleaner Daze lives in Santa Cruz, California - a touristy beach town and runaway teen mecca where syringes wash up on the beach and pot smoke lingers in the air. The show follows Jasmine, the new counselor, as she fumbles her way through her first job in a rehab. It’s also her first time in rehab as an employee rather than a client.

And now the fun part... Virtual reality! We are thrilled to be riding this transmedia wave and exploring a whole new way of telling a story. Season one of Cleaner Daze consists of 10 short webisodes and each webisode features a “VR rabbit hole” which invites the viewer to join the teens in rehab by way of spherical 360 VR. These rabbit hole moments run parallel but independent of the main story line and allow the viewer a unique opportunity to connect more deeply with the characters. It’s a show where no show has gone before.

BEHIND THE WALLS

The teens in treatment are a misfit crew. Sent by their parents or the courts, rehab is a punishment. They are pissed-off and they are devious. From snorting drywall and chugging mouthwash to broom closet hook-ups and petty theft, there’s a lot of sneaky extra-curricular activity going down. Jasmine's co-workers are an eccentric bunch as well, in various stages of recovery themselves. From raw food extremists to CrossFit junkies, their addictions have clearly mutated. Clean time does not equal recovery!

THE START OF SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL

When Jasmine arrives for her first day of work, it’s Squirt’s first day too. Squirt is a 17-year old addict whose girlfriend just died of a Heroin overdose. She’s checking into rehab by choice this time. Over the course of season one, Jasmine and Squirt develop a unique bond. Their budding friendship is at the heart of Cleaner Daze. It’s the magic of recovery - one addict helping another.

WHY NOW

At this moment, the media eye is finally focused on the epidemic of addiction in the US, particularly pharmaceutical opioids. Fifty-one percent of overdose deaths in America are the result of pills prescribed by a doctor. Junkies don’t look like junkies. They are soccer moms, cheerleaders, tech execs, family members, grandparents. Addiction is everywhere. We’re finally waking up to an issue that has long been smothered in blame, shame and denial. Just as the original series Transparent has normalized a conversation around Transgender identity, our show seeks to bring the reality of addiction and recovery out of the closet. It’s time for Cleaner Daze.

$5,000

Baller.

Current Team

About This Team

WRITER/DIRECTOR

Tess Sweet is an award-winning writer/director with a penchant for female-centric stories and dark comedy. In 2011, Tess graduated with an MFA from UCLA’s prestigous film and television directing program where she received the esteemed Jim Morrison Film Award and the Jack Nicholson Distinguished Student Director Award. Upon graduating from UCLA, Tess moved to Santa Cruz where she started a visual storytelling program for At-risk youth. Tess currently lives in Santa Cruz, works as a freelance director and editor, and works ongoing with At-Risk youth in Alternative Education. Check out her work at www.tesssweet.com!

PRODUCER

Cheryl Isaacson is a multi-hyphenate filmmaker and seasoned producer, who pursues well-crafted, female driven stories with nuanced characters. Her latest short film, The Fetch, is a micro thriller set in a world ruled by water scarcity. As founder of Lincoln Street Studios, her award-winning creative agency, Cheryl writes, produces and directs branded content for clients like the Google Self-driving Car Project, Martinelli's Sparkling Cider and Plantronics. www.lincolnstreetstudios.com.

CINEMATOGRAPHER

Peter Lindsey picked up the camera at 14 to shoot skate videos and hasn't put it down since. He cut his teeth filming pro snowboarders and music videos for Tooth and Nail Records and breakout indie bands, like The Relay Company. After getting his film degree at San Jose State University, Peter honed his skills shooting everything from non-profit storytelling to narrative and documentary film. Peter now DPs for Bay Area agencies on corporate and commercial work (clients include Google, Martinelli's, Invisalign and Mindbody) as well as independent film and music videos. His latest music video Shadow of a Drought for Fialta has been featured on Nerdist and is currently in the top ten on Billboard's Heatseekers list.

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I will not be running a campaign for this project on another platform simultaneouslyI understand that I need to reach at least 80% of my goal to keep the funds raisedI have ( or someone on my team has ) a US bank account and SSN or EIN